It is one thing to come off the bench in the middle of a game for the fifth-ranked men’s college basketball team in the country.

It is quite another to be introduced with San Diego State’s starting five, in sold-out and raucous Viejas Arena, with the lights off and the spotlight all on you for a few fleeting seconds.

Aqeel Quinn didn’t let the moment pass without appreciating it. The junior guard, a transfer from Cal State Northridge, got his first start as an Aztec on Saturday when senior forward Josh Davis wasn’t able to play because of a bruised knee he suffered in practice on Monday.

“I was prepared for anything,” Quinn said. “But I wasn’t sure until I saw my name on the board (in the locker room). I was pretty excited.

“It’s the same preparation, but when you come out with the starting five, it’s a different feeling.”

Quinn played 24 minutes and scored eight points in SDSU’s 65-56 victory over Colorado State that kept the Aztecs unbeaten in the Mountain West Conference at 8-0.

The Gardena native has had bigger scoring games as a sub. Quinn notched three straight double-digit performances in pre-conference play and is averaging 7.4 points over the last 11 games. But the start was also about rewarding a player who is fully invested in the team.

“I’m very proud of what he’s done,” coach Steve Fisher said. “In the locker room, when he played no minutes (against) Arizona, he was patting everyone on the back and saying all the right things. He’s a wonderful young guy, and I’m happy for his success. His success helps our success.”

SDSU also got a solid effort from freshman guard Dakarai Allen, whose six points were his most in conference play. He also tied his career high with three rebounds.

Fisher ‘nervous’ about Davis

The Aztecs did well in winning without Davis, their top rebounder, but Fisher hopes his absence is brief. A major injury to Davis’ knee has been ruled out with an MRI exam. Now it will be a day-to-day evaluation leading up to Wednesday’s game at Boise State.

After leading wire-to-wire to beat the Rams in early January, the Aztecs trailed only once on Saturday, when it was 2-1. Yet it was another game in which their smothering defense bailed out their shaky shooting.

SDSU shot 37.5 percent from the field while holding CSU to a 36.2-percent effort. It was the fourth time in the last five games that the Aztecs made fewer than 40 percent of their shots. Typical of the Aztecs lately, they were 2-for-9 shooting to start the game — and held a 7-2 lead.

And there was this: On 10 attempts, they did not make a 3-point shot — the first time that has happened in more than three years.